Rock On...

There couldn't have been a better timing for this movie to hit the screens... well atleast not for the 4 of us who followed it to the screen on the Saturday forenoon.. we did expect a DCH from the feel of it..... Reality hit us when we saw a sea of college-goers (or shud i say bunk-ers)... we didn't exactly look like them ... and "uncle" wud be too much of a word to describe us.. . common man its jus 6 odd years since we walked out of the college gates....
Anyways the first scene/ song does take you back to the DCH days we've all been through.... looooooong loooong ago "once upon a time...". Reality hit for the second time to what ppl call a midlife crises...
The movie takes u back n forth between the dreams we built as youngsters and the reality we choose to live a decade later...How we wud want to forget the facede of our life, , as we associate it with our unfulfilled dreams.. we compromise n succumb to the time & circumstances giving up the uniqueness, magiK within us & get comfortable with the acceptable standard of society, washing out our dreams & identity in the process....
Well it is not that i have reached my "midlife crisis" or something but the events in the near past of my life flashed on the screen as the movie went by.... certainly an eyeopener to all the symptoms of attaining "THE CRISES" in the near future....
Back to the movie on screen, ROCK ON... it did live up to its name as India's first movie on Rock music with some grt sound tracks and hair-dos... good performances from FA AR and not to mention his wife.. it did lack some unconvincing scenes... & I did have to literally ROCK ON ..the bad last seat....
At the end taking a leaf from the movie... it did make me open my eyes to give myself another chance b4 its too late.... as they say better late than never....... and watching the college-goers i wish they would relate to it as India's first movie on Rock music... even after 10 yrs from now....

A tribute ........

Hrishikesh Mukherjee....

Some people with whom we wudn't have any personal relationship, but who tend to have an overwhelming influence on the thoughts we think, the range of emotions we rake,........ they are the ones who add up a few goodies on the “best things of our lives list” …….

It’s not about those whom we consider as our ideals, but it’s about those nice ppl for whom we develop a special liking, for the great work they have performed in their chosen field of life. Its about those whom we have not bothered to know on any other plane other than their work……………. those whose work speak for themselves…..

One such mastermind is Hrishikesh Mukherjee…. was in ignorance to give any space in my thoughts, nor knew much about this great filmmaker till the day when he ended the last walk of his life……My knowledge about him was limited to Anand, Abhiman and Chupke-Chupk…… was unaware that it was his grt mind & hands that rolled some of the finest Indian Cinemas to have hit the screen…. starting with my other fav Raj Kapoor’s Anari to Anand to Abhiman to Mili to Namak Haram to Sadma and forgetnot to mention Satyakam………… the grt works were a tribute to the various human emotions they portrayed. Each of them had the capacity to initiate new set of thoughts to erupt in our minds…. Could now actually see why all these movies had the kind of similar impact which made one sit-up.... and allowed similar kind of reactions for such vried human traits each contained....... the new found knowledge that these gems came form his factory, made me look in awe at this great filmmaker on a day as this…… I had actually tumbled upon most of these movies without any voluntary interest, but my eyes got glued as the plot unveiled each time i saw any of these .....…explained now by the common hand that pulled the strings…...and not to forget the healthy giggles like Chupke chupke, Golmal, the non-stupid, non-cheap humorous delectations ................. did i forget to mention the clean music each one had????

Well coming to my fav and the best of the booty ………….Satyakam…. What a film its been... its one of the best of all the “best’s” … the cast (the only movie of Dharmender other than Chupke chupke I’ve seen and liked), the plot, the direction, the emotions, the frustration, the triumph of the human sprit, it is one-hell-of-a-movie…. what a wonderful portrait of the pre-independence dreams and the post-independence reality… the joy of a free nation turning into a catastrophic, corrupted disgust, the man who had it in him to fight it all in the battle against unknown adversities, a man who stood straight for his principles with the whole world against him…… my salute to the filmmaker who produced this one master art……. Satyakam…. not a movie one cud repeat watching though… bout once seen, stays for a long while……

Wondered why a movie like that is not been talked about unlike his other piece… Anand, which I personally felt was a gud one but not a great ….. Taking a risk of being at the adversity of the majority, for me, watching Anand the only thought that comes is as to why a dying man has to “fake” virtue to prepare a set of ppl to mourn on his eventual death…. that “set” of ppl wud feel more unhappy about his death than the pleasures he has brought into their lives, wud have admired it, had the ailing man walked alone into darkness without the knowledge of the those around, without any emotional turmoil left behind after the changes he brings into lives… this is where I liked satyakam…. In here you don’t pity the state of the dying protagonist. In fact a volcano erupts in you to fight for the purpose which he stood for, the principles he had ……to help ppl to help themselves........... rather than to help ppl to find temporary pleasures in life….... Anand being in public flavor wouldn’t give me a better chance on my vote on Satyakam…. But for me …. Satyakam speaks the same language of The Fountain head probably in a lesser “image” …..

Tribute to the great film maker with such fine thoughts to sow seeds of them in millions of hearts through one of the finest medium…….

Hrishikesh Mukherjee…. his films would stay…. for a long time ….

Rang De ...

Rang de ...

Awake …

Before the world takes “Lord” Bush’s remarks about fearing Mother India and its good old neighbor, seriously and repeat the Mighty British Empire’s saga, which kind of already began …. Let us arise from our state of clever ignorance of ignoring the uncomfortable …..

Rang de …. Puts a mirror in front of us, which went missing for the last half a century in imbibing the “comfortable” way of living..... after generations have spent their lives dreaming, thinking, praying, craving and fighting for a cause....a distinguishable cause….

Rang de …. brings back to our mind the issues ….. which we wouldn’t like to see, hear, think for the uncomfortable feeling it produces …… where we can always wash our hands by blaming the "system", “politicians” or even Mr.Gandhi for every goddamn thing, thus alienating ourselves not gettin our hands dirty …. Guess the “Chalta hai”…. has gone too far.

Rang de …. doesn’t talk about pseudo patriotism of Pak bashing or Cricket loving ….. nor does it preach about the kadhi clad culture which was a weapon for a specific time and purpose …. jus like wars are not fought with swords anymore.

Rang de … talks about ownership of our country …. Well we would do much more than blaming our maids or broken vacuum cleaners for our messy homes …..

Rang de … talks about responsibility ….. and the first trait of being responsible is Confusion …. That exactly seems to be the state of mind of our director too …. because the moment the boys of our movie grow up to be “men” the story falls apart … the twist which has excited the critics in spending a lot of ink ….. but tell u what… non of them/us could have ended the movie in a better/worse way than what it has been …… because our own confusion would have done the unimaginable, just like blasting trains or making salt were different means for a same cause… though looked like a unworthy act but did nurture a revolution….

Well we could start abstaining…. from throwing paper as waste on roads to throwing paper as money to get our jobs done…


Well apart from the wonderful script, Mr. Rakesh Mehra does a great job with the camera, the landscape, AR Rehman and the troupe………….. the shots are just amazing …. the contrast and the similarities between the protagonists and the historic figures they play is breathtaking...

Highly Recommended…..as it’s food for thought …. to awake and arise……

and highly not Recommended --- Popcorn …. The tummy is already upset with the feeling of our unworthy existence…… after watching the likes of Bhagat singh and the massacre of Jallianwala bagh…

RANG DE …………. LET’S ADD COLORS TO LIVES!!!!!!!!!